Electric horn.



side of the plate 2, and the tapping mecha-..

CHARLES F. TOWNSAN, OF MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA.

ELECTRIC HORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 25, 1941.3. Serial No. 750,604.

To all whom may concern.'

Be it known th' t I, CHARLES F. TowNsAN, a .citizen of the United States, residing at Mitchell, inthe county of Davison and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and' useful Improvements in Electric Horns; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to electric horns for signaling purposes, Land more particularly for use on automobiles; and it vconsists in the novel construction and combination of the parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is side view of `a horn constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a similar side view, but shows the -horn turned one-quarter around. Fig. 3 is a detail side View .of the tappin mechanism.

A su porting plate y2 is-provided having a central hle 3, and this plate is adapted to be secured to the frame of an automobile. A sounding diaphragm 4 is secured to the front side of the plate 2 between two washf ers 5 of insulating material, and 6 is the horn or resonator secured over the front side of the diaphragm. A portion only of this horn 6 is shown, and it is of any approved size.

The diaphragm has a to the central portion of its rear side opposite the hole 3, and 9 is a ball arranged between the diaphragm andthe bracket, each of which is provided with a hole or perforation through which the opposite slde portions of the ball project, and in which the ball may be revolved. y

A protectingfcase 10 is `secured 'to the rear nism is arranged Jint-his case. Two electromagnets 11 are coupled together atl their front ends by a metallicbar 12."and 13 is a plate of insulating material interposed betweenthe bar 12 and the plate 2.

A supporting post 14 's securedto. the plate 2, and a plate offinsulatingmaterial 15 is secured to the front endA of the post 14, and to the front ends of the electro-magnets.

f The electro-magnets' are provided withl anI armature 16, and 17 isa leaf springlwhich supports the armature from a block 18 se curedv tothe plate 15, and which permits the i a sectional bracket 8 secured' armature to vibrate. A stationary contactpiece 19 provided with an adjustable oo ntact-screw 20 is secured over the stationary end portion of the spring, and 21 is a block of insulating material interposed between the contact-piece and the spring. i

An anglefshaped contact-spring 24 'is proratentea Nov. 11, 1913.-

vided, and is secured to the armature 'and y its spring parallel to andout 'of line with the electro-magnets, and with its contact 25 arranged in line withl the point of the contact-screw and opposite the part of the armature spring which bends back and forth. This position of the contact 25 is important in a device of this sort, as it enables the armature to vibrate without its vibrations being in any way damped or interfered with.

A tapper-bar 27 isprovided, and one end.

of it is secured in a slot 28 in the armature, so that the tapper-bar can be adjusted laterally to diierent positions. -The other end portion of the tapper-bar projects past the electro-magnets toward the ball on the diaphragm. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tapper-bar may be arranged to strike the ball in line with its center, or, as shown in Fig. 3, the tapper-bar may be arranged so that one edge of it strikes the periphery of the ball obliquely', and may be caused `to operate the diaphragm at t-he back stroke as well as at the forward stroke. The plate 15 haswbinding posts30 and 31 for the attachment of the battery wires. The post-30 is connected to the electro-magnetsA by a' wire 32, and the post 31 is connected to the l contact-piece by a wire 33.v The various parts of this device may however be wired in circuit in any other approved manner.

When current is sent through the electromagnets the armature is vibrated, and the ball of the diaphragm is struck or tipped by the tapper-bar. The ball has an important inuence upon the sound produced by the diaphragm. The quality of the soundis greatly improved, and a pleasing note of great' clearne'ss and penetrating quality is sounded. electricity to run it.

What I claim is:

1. In an electric h'or'n, the combination,

with la diaphragm provided with a hole, and a vbracket secu-red to the diaphragm and also provided with ahole; of a ball arranged between the diaphragm and bracket with its oppositie' Side portions projecting through This device requires but little theirl holes, a tapper-bar, and electric operating mechanism which causes the tapper bar to strike endwise on the ball and thereby vibrate the diaphragm.

2; In an electric horn, the combination,v v with a diaphragm provided with a hole, and

a bracket secured to the diaphragm and also rovided -With a hole; of a .ball arranged etween the diaphragm and bracket with its opposite side portions projecting through their holes, an electro-magnet provided with an armature having a slot, and a tapper-bar secured in the slot and adjustable to different positions therein with respect to the ball 1 and adapted to strike endwise upon the ball.

3. In an electric horn, the combination, with a diaphragm, of' a stationary support for the diaphragm, an electro-magnet secured to' the said support, an insulated leaf spring secured to the said support, an armature carried by the leaf spring and free to vibrate, a tapper-bar carried by the armature and operating to vibrate the diaphragm, a stationary insulated contact-piece secured to the said support, and an angleshaped contact-spring having one end p0rtion secured to the armature and having its other end portion arranged opposite the stationary contact-pece.

In testimony whereof I have aiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. TOWN SAN.

Witnesses:

O. B. WALLACE, J. HEAGES, 

